Greetings to the Data Scientist central members.

So I will jump into the point in question. I come into the data scientist area after deciding to finish my Mathematics and Statistics at the University of South Alabama at some point. I set the original goal of finishing my bachelor's and master's in the same major to find a job in Data Science. However I am looking at a minimum 5 years with the fact that I already have taken out 35K in student loans before finishing my degree. However I also have the opportunity to reach out to a bootcamp school called Lambda School that has an 7 month Data Scientist program that lets me pay 40k in a two year period that is only required after I obtain a job. I do not know exactly what route would be best to go into whther it be the traditional college route of certification or a bootcamp certification. One thing that holds me back from jumping straight into either path is some financial obligations that only concern me as a single man with no kids. I understand the considerable boundaries I have but a small plus is that I also am the age of 27 rather than an older age. My question is does anyone have any advice in pertaining to making advances towards a Data Scientist career even if it is starting into a junior or analyst role?

Lastly I do want to mention that I have read the following posts as well as others I do not have saved:

Replies to This Discussion

Another option is to get an internship. Or look for college degrees abroad: some if not most are probably less expensive than in US, some are very good. Or you could start your own blog. The creator of statisticshowto.com for instance, over a few years, managed to get a very decent income from her blog and books, targeted to beginners.

I've visited University of South Alabama. Lovely school. I understand that school is expensive today. I would encourage you to continue in your program if you are being successful there. Data Science is a well-paying field and you would benefit from at least a Masters' degree. If you are unable to do so, many schools are now offering free tuition for students in exchange for a certain percentage of their salary for maybe 7 years. You might look into that as well. Another (last resort) option may be to attend the free online university University of the People for business. You can do business there and take Data Science at maybe EdX. I think you would be worth much less in that case for a while until you get up to speed though. I think for Data Science, you will definitely benefit from at least one degree. I teach Chemistry at JSU in Alabama, so I admit I'm a bit biased, but most job offers will require that you have a degree. Good luck to you!